Bug

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This article is about bugs in computer software. For bugs in the Scratch program, see Scratch Bugs.

  For more information, see Software Bug on Wikipedia. A bug, also known as a glitch, is a mistake or abnormality in computer software that is not intended by the developers of the software. It arises from errors in programming and can be fixed through software updates. Bugs can be harmless, in addition to being hilarious and useful. However, some can annoy the user and may even harm software. In Scratch, many users may have bugs in their projects, especially ones in the process of development.

History

Bugs have been present ever since the dawn of computers. One of the purported reasons for the name of "bug" is that, in September 1947, a moth got trapped inside an old computer (named the Mark II), preventing it from working. That was the first computer "bug". Despite this, the term "bug" was already being used as early as the 1870s. Computer software is developed by humans, not other computer software (which would have to be bug-free itself), and humans make mistakes or are forgetful when coding. A bug does not resolve from a syntax error in coding - that would result in an entire program not functioning. A bug results from proper-syntax coding that has a flaw in the functioning of the program as a whole.

Video games commonly have bugs. Bug testers are paid employees who play video games before they are released to check for any glitches. Typically, not all bugs are caught, resulting in players uploading footage online of various in-game glitches. In the modern-day world, software updates can be released via the Internet after a product is released to fix any bugs. This is often referred to as a patch release. Some argue this has made developers lazy by releasing incomplete software, knowing they can fix the issues later.

Graphical Bugs

Graphics are the display of any operating software, including video games. Graphical bugs are present when an abnormality appears in the video due to an error or flaw in the programming of a software's graphics. Any example is a major discoloration, or any spazzing lines and colors. Like non-graphical glitches, they can usually be fixed via software updates. An example of a graphical bug in a video game is a color palette bug in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 that causes Sonic to be green and black. In newer graphical, CGI video games, they are less common^{[citation needed]} but some still might appear.

Scratch Bugs

Main article: Scratch Bugs

The Scratch site, software, and projects created using it have had numerous bugs in the past. The Bugs and Glitches forum was created to report such bugs found on the Scratch site.

As Scratch is a site designed for new programmers, many projects have been found to contain numerous bugs. This is not to be confused with bugs within Scratch itself.